1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to a backlight unit with a new configuration and a liquid crystal display device having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display devices used for computer monitors or televisions (TVs) include self-light-emitting devices such as organic light emitting displays (OLEDs), vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs), field emission displays (FEDs), and plasma display panels (PDPs), as well as non self-light emitting devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs). A general LCD device includes two substrates having electric field generation electrodes and a liquid crystal layer having dielectric anisotropy and interposed between the substrates. When a certain voltage is applied to the electric field generation electrodes, an electric field is generated in the liquid crystal layer. The strength of the electric field is adjusted by changing the voltage. Thus, a desired image is displayed by controlling the transmissivity of light passing through the liquid crystal layer.
The LCD device includes a data driver, a gate driver, and a backlight unit. The data driver externally receives image data, generates data signals of pixels and supplies the generated data signals to data lines of an LCD panel. The gate driver generates a gate signal to drive the pixels of one line of the LCD panel and supplies the generated gate signal to a gate line of the LCD panel. The backlight unit is disposed on the rear surface of the LCD panel and provides light.
Cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), external electrode fluorescent lamps (EEFLs), or light emitting diodes (LEDs) are used as the light source of a general backlight unit. Recently, LEDs are being increasingly used as the light source of a backlight unit due to merits such as a long lifespan. LEDs are generally mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) which is disposed at one side of the backlight unit.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a small-sized LCD device of the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, an small-sized LCD device of the related art includes an LCD panel 110 with a thin film transistor substrate 111 and a color filter substrate 112, a panel drive unit 113 disposed at one side of the LCD panel 110 and configured to drive the LCD panel 110, and a backlight unit 120 disposed under the LCD panel 110 and configured to apply light to the LCD panel 110.
The panel drive unit 113 includes driver chips 114 and a first FPC 115.
The backlight unit 120 includes a main support 180 formed using a mold of a rectangular rim, a second FPC 153 disposed on one side edge of the main support 180, and a plurality of LEDs 151 loaded on the second FPC 153. The backlight unit 120 further includes a reflective sheet, a light guide plate 160, and optical sheets which are sequentially placed. The plural LEDs 151 are inserted into receiving holes 183 formed on one inner side wall of the main support 180, respectively.
Such a small-sized LCD device is used in a cellular phone (or mobile phone), a small-sized display device, etc., garnering on their thin size. Recently, however, the application of these display devices has gradually expanded. As such, these display devices are used in a growing variety of fields. In view of this point, such display devices must be developed in a variety of types suitable to the expanding field of application.